Offering courses in Malta without your own MFHEA licence

Why can't I just teach my course in Malta?

Any educational institution offering programmes rated on the Malta Qualifications Framework has to be licensed by MFHEA. An Ofqual-regulated certificate taught to learners in Valletta is still a UK qualification, with no place on the MQF until MFHEA has reviewed it under a licensed provider.

Which levels a licence covers depends on its category. A Further Education Institution offers programmes at MQF Levels 1 to 4. A Higher Education Institution offers Level 5 and above. A Further and Higher Education Institution can cover Levels 1 to 8. Before you look at any partner, check that its category covers the level of your programme.

What changed in 2026?

On 24 February 2026 MFHEA published Communication 04/2026. It said MFHEA would no longer accept licence applications to operate fully online institutions. Licensed institutions must keep dedicated premises in Malta, owned or leased, and their technical and administrative staff have to work from Malta. For every fully online programme, a provider must also offer at least one physical or blended programme, and a blended programme can be at most 60 per cent online.

For a provider abroad with one or two programmes, this changes the sums. Applying for your own licence now means renting premises and employing staff in Malta before the first learner enrols. A partner that is already licensed has those in place, which is why many providers now look at partnering first.

Own licence or licensed partner?

Both routes end with an MFHEA-accredited programme. They differ in who holds the licence, who issues the award and how much you spend before you start.

What does partnering involve?

Your programme is reviewed by MFHEA in the same way as any other. The work is in the file: learning outcomes written to the MQF level descriptors, a credit value in ECTS at 25 hours of learner effort per credit, assessment that tests at the claimed level, and lecturers whose qualifications and experience fit the level. The partner institution submits the application, because the programme sits under its licence. Once it is accredited, the partner issues the award and runs the in-person part of the teaching in Malta.

MFHEA's programme fee is set per credit and rises with the level. A 30-credit programme at Level 4 costs 1,600 euro, and MFHEA adds 15 per cent for blended or online delivery, which makes 1,840 euro. A 90-credit Master's at Level 7 costs 4,600 euro, or 5,290 euro blended. The fee is paid upfront and is not refunded if the application fails. The partner's own fee for premises, platform and quality work comes on top.

What should I check before signing with a partner?

Ask a few blunt questions before you sign.

• Is the partner licensed today for your programme's level, or is that still an application in the pipeline?
• Will your learners sit in its own classrooms?
• If the deal ends in three years, who keeps the course?
• Whose name goes on the certificate, and whose logo on the adverts?
• Who pays MFHEA, who pays the lecturers, and how is the learner fee split?
• If one of you walks away, what happens to the people halfway through the course?

That is the route we offer through our own institute in Malta, with Apollo doing the alignment, the submission and the yearly quality work. We are opening it at MQF Levels 1 to 4 first and adding 5 to 7 when MFHEA approves the institute's higher education category; our partnership page has the detail.